


Don't Stop

by fandomcrazychick



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band), Union J (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Heartbreak, M/M, Romance, SuperHero!Zayn, girl Zayn, lots of gay, superhero!calum, superhero!jaymi, superhero!michael, superhero!perrie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-02-17 15:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2314097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomcrazychick/pseuds/fandomcrazychick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a superhero!au with a bit of coffee shop!au and a load of other ones which I can't be bothered to write down now.</p><p>There'll be five parts, each part relating to another member of the superhero group.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Michael

**Author's Note:**

> fandomcrazychick.tumblr.com/ask
> 
> Send prompts!

Once upon a time - okay, so it wasn’t that long ago. It was only a short time ago, and it was London in which the following events happened. Each one has a common theme, but they all tell a different story about the five very special people involved.

Perrie Edwards was the sort-of leader of their small group, but she was just as active as the others were. Her golden-blonde hair and her big blue eyes were part of what made her special, because they aided her superpower - seduction. She was known as the Siren.

Jaymi Hensley was the ‘mother’ of the group, and looking after his four best friends was one of the main uses of his special power - super speed. With the slightest effort, he could move quicker than a shooting star when he wanted to. He was known as the Dart.

Calum Hood was the baby of the group, being physically shorter as well as being actually younger than the other four, but his power was definitely the most intimidating than those of his friends’. He possessed the power to create and manipulate electric energy. He was known as the Spark.

Zayn Malik was the only other girl in the group, but she was the most driven and motivated out of the five. Her power was to duplicate herself; so with a single word, there would be up to five other Zayns around them, who could all work independently for the time which the original Zayn needed them. She was known as the Multiplier.

Michael Clifford was the oldest in the group, but due to his power, and shy personality (because the two were innately tied together), he tended to blend into the background of wherever they were. He was an actual chameleon, and his hair and skin would change colour and patterns to blend into whatever environment he was in at the time whenever he felt scared, or shy, or more often now when he wanted to be hidden. He was known as the Lizard.

This is Michael’s story.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael followed his mates into their tiny shared apartment, and he took off his mask as he flopped back into the beanbag chair. “Another successful mission for the Marginalised.” He grinned. “Zayn, that was incredible the way you suddenly had eight of you! You’re getting better.” He flashed the dark-haired girl a smile.

"I’ve been practicing." Zayn admitted with a proud smile, as she removed her own dark green mask, and shook out her shock of black hair. "I’m gonna get a shower, and then I’m going to just crash for the night, yeah? By the way, I’m taking the big bed."

A chorus of protests started at her words, but Zayn just shrugged with a smirk. “I call dibs on half the bed, so you lot can fight over who gets to have the other side.” She turned and walked off down the hallway to the one bathroom.

Calum groaned. “Explain to me again why we don’t just get a bigger place?” He raised an eyebrow. “Five of us in a one bedroom apartment isn’t cutting it any more.”

"As if it was ever working." Michael put in quietly, "Seriously though, Per, can we pretty please upgrade our living space?"

All three guys looked towards the only female left in the room, and ultimately the one whose name was on the rental agreement for the apartment.

She sighed, and shook her head. “Look, I’m all up for a bigger place as much as you lads are, especially since I’m sick of some people borrowing my clothes-” Perrie shot Jaymi a look, making him squirm guiltily a little. “-And certain other people who practically fry my clothes any time they’re doing laundry-” Here she looked pointedly at Calum, who self-consciously put his hands behind his back. “-And not to mention other people who don’t know the meaning of knocking before entering, but right now money’s tight. I mean, we’re paying for those art classes of Zayn’s, and school stuff for you Calum, as well as those special gloves, and that’s not even considering the bills for here, and money for food and other necessities. Maybe if all of us worked, it’d be easier, but right now we need to manage money carefully.”

Jaymi sighed, seeing Perrie’s logic, and he bit his lip. “I know we’re in a tough situation, but we always make do, and eventually we’ll get better, right?” He smiled gently, and sat down beside Calum, picking up and opening his laptop as he did so. “You three better get to bed anyway. Per, remember to take care of that cut on your arm. Mikey, take two of those sinus medicine things before bed, because you’ve been sniffling a lot, and Cal, you just get some sleep, because-” The Luton lad stopped when he heard distinctive snoring from beside him, and he chuckled lightly.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Michael got up, and got dressed for his exciting day job as a coffee shop barista where he worked alongside Perrie. Out of the five young heroes, only two worked, since Calum was still in school, and Jaymi was having no luck finding a job yet. Zayn didn’t have good social skills, but she could cook and clean, so in exchange for doing stuff around the apartment, she could attend art classes on Wednesday afternoons.

He clocked in for the day once they arrived and tied his apron on securely. “Bring on another day of serving coffee to pretentious dicks.” He whispered to Perrie, making her giggle. He grinned, and started up one of the coffee machines.

"By the way, I’m going to need you to tail someone tonight, okay?" The blonde whispered to him as she busied herself with getting coffee cups out of the packaging. "When we were at the bank last night, we were just finishing up with securing the other burglars, but I only just noticed him at the last moment, but anyway, this guy stole some of the money from the tills before he slipped out. Think you could tail him tonight? Find out more about him?"

Michael shrugged. “Might as well. Got nothing else to do. No hot date, or any social event to attend.” He let out a sigh. “I wish I was like you, Pezza. I wish I had someone who was crazy about me, who admired me from far. You don’t even realise it though. Even so, I’d love someone to notice me. Me, not the Lizard.”

Perrie blinked. “Wait, what?” She questioned, bewildered. “Someone fancies me? Who?” Her blue eyes were alight with curiosity.

That’s when Michael realised that for once he knew something that his best girl friend didn’t. He grinned mischievously. “Tell you later.” He mysteriously said, and turned to face the counter where already a line of customers were waiting.

The Geordie girl pouted, and poked Michael’s shoulder before she went further down the counter to the other till to sort out another customer.

By the time midday came around, Michael had had enough of people overcrowding him, and he had had at least three mini panic attacks in the last hour alone. People weren’t his strong suit, and sometimes he just got really overwhelmed.

Thankfully it was just after the lunchtime rush and now his shift was over. The second the clock ticked to 1:00, he untied his apron, and hung it up eagerly. “Finally!” He grinned, and got out a few cookies to take home with them.

"Hey, could I get some coffee please?" A pleasant voice spoke from behind him, and he groaned.

"Sorry, we’re closing now." He replied as he turned around to face the customer, but once his eyes landed on the person, all thoughts immediately exited his brain. Except one,

Damn, he’s beautiful.

The person on the other side of the counter was a blonde, blue-eyed giraffe of a boy, who seemed to tower above Michael even though he could only have been a few feet taller. His lip was adorned with a since black lip ring, but when Michael saw that adorable lip bite, he was totally gone for this stranger.

"I uh…" He stammered for a second, feeling like a complete idiot who couldn’t even make a coherent sentence now. Finally he got a grip on himself though, and he cleared his throat. "I-I guess one more coffee wouldn’t hurt."

The young man’s lips curved up into a goofy grin. “Great! I’m just popping in for a minute on the way to band practice, and I’m so late, so I figured I’d get coffee for my band mates to appease them, and I’m so happy you’re still sort of open, because they’ll kill me unless I bring coffee, so yeah.” He nodded awkwardly.

"So, what can I get you?" Michael turned the coffee machine on again, and glanced at the cutie standing just a few feet away from him.

"Oh, erm, three cappuccinos, and one hot chocolate." The guy responded, and then as if he felt an explanation was due, he added, "I have a serious sweet tooth, and I get irritable if I don’t get my chocolate fix."

Well, blow me down if that wasn’t just totally adorable. Michael thought it himself, but he nodded and got four coffee cups out. “So you’re in a band?” He asked trying to make conversation. “What are you guys called?”

"Absolutely no idea." The guy replied cheerfully.

Michael shot him a questioning look at that, because really? What was that about?

"We keep changing the name, because our drummer’s so damn picky, and can’t decide. A week ago, we were the Rock-Avengers, but currently we are between names." He responded in reply to Michael’s unasked question. "Speaking of names, what’s yours?"

The sheer cheeriness of this boy threw Michael a little. How could anyone be this cheerful and happy in a world as corrupt as the one they lived in?

"I’m M-Michael." The brunette barista replied shyly. "You?" He asked as he busied himself with dispensing the coffees and the one hot chocolate into the cups, and gathering the caps.

"The name’s Luke. Luke Hemmings."

Damn, even the name was cute. Michael literally felt as if he would just float out the door with hearts in his eyes like a cartoon character any moment now. Luke. Luke. Luuuuuuuuuke….

"Erm, Michael?" The voice broke him out of his reverie, and he blinked.

"Hmm?"

"Uh, the water?"

Michael jolted, and quickly turned off the tap. He quickly put the caps on the four coffee cups, and handed them over with a shy smile. “Here you go.”

"Thanks." Luke took them with a grateful smile. "You just saved my ass from getting yelled at, you know. So, how much do I owe you?"

Before a Michael could respond, Perrie appeared in the doorway to the staff room. “Ready to go, M?” She asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder. She noticed Luke, and grinned. “Hey there cutie.” She began twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

Michael watched with dismay as Perrie’s power began working on Luke, until he was openly staring at her with lust in his eyes. “Hey, Per? Wait for me outside, yeah?’ Michael looked meaningfully at her.

She rolled her eyes, but let go of the strand of hair, releasing the power she had over Luke. “Fine, I’ll wait by the bike.” She walked out, closing the shop door behind her.

"Anyway, count this one on the house." Michael looked back at the slightly dazed Luke. "No charge."

"Wha’? Oh, thanks! Are you sure though?" Luke asked worriedly. "I want to pay you back somehow though." He bit his lip again, looking absolutely precious as far as Michael was concerned.

"Hey, how about I take you out to dinner tonight?" The blonde suddenly offered brightly.

Michael’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Dinner? As in a d-date?” He blurted out, taken by surprise.

"Well, it was only an idea….just, never mind." Luke shook his head, going red. "Thanks for the coffee anyway." He turned and made for the door.

"Shit." Michael muttered to himself and quickly flipped the off switch for the machines before he grabbed his backpack. "Wait!" He called desperately as he hopped over the counter, and ran across the cafe to catch up with Luke. "Dinner sounds great!" He breathlessly smiled.

Luke turned, an eyebrow raised. “Yeah, seriously?” His grin spread.

"Seriously." Michael nodded, trying to hide how freaking nervous he already was inside. "Tonight at the Crystal Cafe down the street? About seven?" He suggested.

"Yeah, no problem. See you then." Luke beamed, and waved as he left, trying to balance the coffees and hot chocolate in his hands.

Michael smiled back, and he locked up the cafe after himself, before he headed over to Perrie and her motorbike. “That wasn’t cool what you did back there, Edwards.” He sternly said.

“C’mon, it was harmless, and anyway, think of it as power control practice.” The Geordie girl smirked. “I’m getting better at doing it at will now, because I’ve now got control over the rush of power.”

"You didn’t have to practice on him though." Michael muttered, and slid onto the bike behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Let’s just get home, and see what state the flat is in now."

~~~~~~~~~

That evening, all five gathered around for a group meeting as soon as they were all home. Perrie looked around at the four others, and she smiled. These people were her family now, and she loved each one of them. They all came from difficult situations where their families hadn’t understood them or their ‘special’ abilities. However they had all found each other somehow and were complete. Perrie became so deep in her own thoughts, that she didn’t notice a pair of sadly longing, hazel eyes watching her from across the room.

She came out of her reverie after a moment, and got everyone’s attention. “Alright, so let’s get tonight’s jobs sorted out. Jaymi, you’re coming with me, and we’ll track down Crothers.” Perrie scowled at the mention of the disgusting rapist and murderer who was currently on the run from the law. Well, not for much longer as far as the Marginalised were concerned. “I got a reliable tip from one of my contacts, that Crothers is in London again, and that he’s hiding out somewhere by the docks, so we’ll be going there. Calum, you and Zayn do the patrols, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, ‘kay? Michael, you’re- Michael!” She snapped her fingers.

The Aussie lad blinked, coming back to Earth. “Huh?” He asked, unsure of anything that had just happened. He had been imagining different scenarios which could happen on his date tonight.

Perrie raised an eyebrow. “I was saying what everyone’s jobs are for tonight. I’m tracking someone with Jay, and Calum is going with Zayn on patrols, and you are going to be tailing the thief from last night.”

Michael’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “What? No! I have a date tonight, Perrie!” He protested. “Can’t Zayn or Cal just track this guy? Please? It’s just for one night!”

"M, you know what our job is. To protect the city from those who harm it. Our job takes precedence over our personal lives and you know that." Jaymi gently said, "Just reschedule the date, ok? I’m sure the girl will understand if you have it tomorrow afternoon or something."

"Ok fine! I understand!" Michael exploded and stood up sharply. "No personal life, just our job, I get it." He turned and stalked off into the bathroom. He locked the door behind him, and sat on the closed toilet seat, feeing furious and pissed off, but also resigned and regretful, because he did know what the Marginalised stood for, and that it was more important, but just once though, he would have liked to focus on just him for once.

With a sigh, he took out his phone, and suddenly realised that he didn’t have Luke’s number. He did the next best thing, and dialled the number of the cafe where he had been going to meet Luke.

"Hello, Crystal Cafe, how may we help you?" A crisp female voice answered.

"Hi, erm, I’m Michael Clifford, and I’m meant to be meeting someone at your cafe tonight for dinner, but I can’t make it. Can you please tell Luke Hemmings that I’m sorry but I have to cancel?" Michael bit his lip.

"I’m sorry sir, but a Mr Hemmings called not five minutes ago to say the same thing." The female voice responded.

Michael’s heart sank, and with it, so did his hopes. He sighed. “Alright, thanks.” He hung up, and ran a hand through his hair. He might as well don his costume now anyway. Nothing else to do tonight.

Story of his fucking life.

He got dressed into his specialised Lycra suit, and half-heartedly tested it out, going the colour and pattern of the bathroom wall and back again. Everything was good. Well, except his life in general. He pulled on his mask, and looked at his reflection in the mirror briefly before he went to join the others.

"I’m ready." He stated flatly.

~~~~~~~~~~

After gathering footage from the bank’s security cameras, and consequent CCTV footage from other shops along the street, Michael was able to trace the mysterious hooded thief’s path right across the city, and to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of London.

He crept up to the building, and peeked in the window on the lower level. However, all he saw was a small bed in the far corner and a bundle of ratty-looking blankets on the bed. Michael frowned, but then his keen hearing kicked in, and he heard footsteps nearby.

Instinctively he turned and instantly went the exact pattern and colour of the brick wall he was against, so he was totally hidden. His eyes followed a single hooded figure down the stone path and into the building. Michael recognised the figure’s shape and hoodie from the footage, so he knew he had his target. The hood covered the person’s face, but from the gait in which the person walked, and the body shape, Michael could guess pretty well that it was a man.

The person paused at the wall, and glanced around quickly before he pushed aside a loose wooden panel, and ducked into the warehouse out of sight.

Michael instantly followed him, silently slipping in after him just before the panel could swing back into place. Once in, he looked around, and was stunned at what he saw. The thief crossed the room to the bed, and sat down. As Michael watched, he picked up one of the blankets and wrapped it around himself. This was barely a home, Michael thought to himself, but it was obviously where this thief lived.

As he watched further from the shadows of the dark warehouse, the thief pulled the backpack off his back, and opened it. He took out a sheaf of ten pound notes and began counting through it.

Curious now, Michael, edged closer, still against the wall but closer to the thief, until he was just a few feet away, virtually invisible against the wall. Something about this guy seemed familiar, but Michael couldn’t quite place what was familiar about him.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew through one of the smashed in window panes, and blew the hood down, revealing the features of the mysterious thief.

Michael’s jaw dropped, but his quickly closed it to stop a gasp of surprise escaping. He was utterly gobsmacked at the true identity of the thief he was meant to be following. He watched, shocked, as Luke ran one hand through his blonde hair and sighed almost regretfully.

He began edging back towards the entrance and quickly slipped out. Once he was far enough from the warehouse, he broke into a run, conflicted now. The target of the Marginalised was the boy he fancied. Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, and triple shit.

Michael ran as far as the park before he stopped. He sighed, and sank down, his back to a tree. This was not good. What was he meant to tell the others? That the thief was the guy he was crushing on? He ran his hands agitatedly though his hair, tugging on it a little as his mind worried about this situation.

How could Luke be the thief? He seemed like such a sweet guy, but if he was stealing money, what else was he stealing? Besides Michael’s heart that is. Was he ever intending in actually going out with Michael? Was he just a con man who flirted his way into everything? All these questions buzzed around his brain but he had no answers.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, as he began to quietly sob. He was feeling the pain of heartbreak over a guy he had only met that day, but that thought just made his heart ache even more, and his tears to flow more freely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, somehow Michael managed to get himself home again, and once home, he got cleaned up and changed so there was no evidence he had cried himself to sleep. However he did all this in a monotone, not really caring what he did and not thinking about what he was doing,

He left the bathroom and came face to face with Jaymi who seemed relieved to see Michael.

"Thank god you’re home! I thought something bad had happened to you." Jaymi exclaimed, giving his mate a hug. "You look absolutely wrecked though, M, so bed now for you." He told him firmly.

Michael sighed, and shook his head. “I’m fine, Jay, honestly I am. I just need some coffee before I go to work. Can you make me a cuppa?” He asked wearily.

"You’ve just got in - you need sleep." Jaymi told him. "What happened last night?" He questioned, perceiving that something had happened last night that had affected their shyest member.

The Aussie lad shook his head again. “Nothing happened, Jaymi. I was tailing the thief person like Perrie told me to, but before I could find out who he was, I lost him.” He fibbed. “I fell asleep in the park though while I waited for him to come back, so I’m fine. I swear I’m fine.”

Jaymi appraised him carefully for a second. “Alright…” He doubtfully said. “Are you alright though? I mean, you didn’t get to go on your date last night, and also we pretty much pushed you to cancel in the first place, which I am so sorry about. I know how it feels to want a normal, non-superhero life.”

Michael looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean? You love this life.”

"I do love being able to save people, but I’m lonely." Jaymi sighed and played with the saints bracelet on his wrist. "I want to meet a guy, and settle down, get married, maybe have a few kids. I wish I could go out and meet guys as just me, but we spend our nights saving the damn city, and dressed in these costume disguises, and that doesn’t exactly leave any room for socialising."

"I had no idea you felt that way." Michael softly said. "But it doesn’t matter for me anyway, I don’t think the date would have went well anyway." He hesitated, and then asked quietly, "Jay, how did you come out to your family?"

The question took Jaymi by surprise, but he answered slowly, trying to make sense of the question, “I just gathered my mum and dad and brother all around, and I just told them straight out that I was gay. This was before my powers kicked in, mind you, but they were okay about me being gay. Why do you ask?”

Suddenly the penny dropped, and Jaymi’s mouth dropped open. “M, are you gay?” He whispered, shocked. This was the last thing he expected.

Michael went white, and he quickly shushed Jaymi. “Ssh! I don’t want the others to know - I didn’t even want you to know!” He hissed, glancing quickly up and down the hallway to make sure nobody was listening in.

Jaymi beamed widely. “Why? This is amazing! You have no idea how thrilled I am to know that I’m not alone. For the whole two years I’ve been a part of this group, I’ve been the only openly gay person here. So, who do you fancy? The guy from yesterday you were going to date?”

"I don’t think he’d be good for me." Michael shook his head. "Just please don’t tell anyone though, okay?" He headed down the hallway into the kitchen, and he opened the fridge door to get the milk, mulling over what Jaymi had said about a normal life,

"You should really go talk to that tall blonde guy." A quiet husky voice suddenly piped up, and Michael nearly dropped the milk in shock.

He looked up and saw Zayn sitting cross-legged on the top of the fridge, wearing nothing but a pair of black panties, an oversized t-shirt, and a pair of fluffy black socks, eating ice cream right out of the tub.

"Jesus, Zayn! What the hell are you doing up there? And what do you mean about a blonde guy?" He asked, closing the fridge door again.

"I’m hungry, but don’t change the subject. I was on patrol last night with Cal, and we split up, doing separate routes, so I split myself into four to cover more ground, and I did a run around those warehouses out at the edge of the city near the factories. Anyway, I saw you tailing the guy with the blond hair and the lip ring, and from what I just heard you saying to Jaymi, and the look on your face last night, I’m guessing you like him, but because he stole that money, you don’t know if you can trust him or not. Am I right?" Zayn said matter of factly.

At Michael’s look of utter amazement, she rolled her eyes. “You’re not the only one who can stay hidden, you know. Anyway, from what I gather, you should at least talk to this guy.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re one to talk, Miss Malik. You’ve been making goo goo eyes at Perrie for over a year now, but you haven’t told her you fancy her either.” He pointed out.

The raven-haired girl flushed a deep red. “Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about you and your blonde thief crush. Now, I actually hung around there for a while after you bolted, and it seems like maybe there’s more to this guy’s story than what you think. Now, you’re going to go there, and talk to him right now.”

"Will it get you to shut up?" Michael asked exasperatedly, not really thinking what he was agreeing to.

"Yep." Zayn smirked, and hopped down from the top of the fridge. She replaced the ice cream in the freezer, and got her jeans from the side of the sofa. "And I’m coming with you so you don’t wimp out." She stuck out her tongue at him.

Michael groaned. “You’re like an irritating little sister, you know that?” He poured some coffee out from the machine.

"I know," Zayn giggled, as she pulled on her ripped jeans, and her converse.

~~~~~~~~~~

As they approached the warehouse, Michael’s already small amount of nerve was fading fast. He stopped in his tracks and shook his head, looking terrified. “I can’t do this.”

Zayn rolled her eyes, and sharply tugged him forwards. “You are going to talk to him. Don’t make me drag you in there.”

He shot her a look, silently daring her to try, just try.

She gave him a look back, and suddenly there were two other Zayns beside him, and they picked him up, and carried him towards the warehouse. The original Zayn led the way, and pushed the panel aside as the other Zayns carried Michael, kicking and thrashing, into the building.

Luke sat up quickly when suddenly four people came in, one being Michael. “What are you doing here?” He blurted out going red.

Zayns 2 and 3 set Michael down, and he straightened his t-shirt and jeans before going over to Luke. “I came to ask you about last night - why did you blow me off? And why are you stealing?” He demanded.

Luke swallowed. “How did you know about the stealing? And how did you know I was here?” He looked freaked out, and terrified, which were exactly the emotions Michaek was feeling as well.

"I-I-I…" Michael stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence yet again.

Zayn stepped forward, and rolled her eyes. “Idiots. Look, me and Michael here are part of the Marginalised - you may have heard of us through the papers?”

Luke’s eyes widened, “Wait, you mean those superheroes who go around saving people? The ones at the bank the other night?” He bit his lip. “So, if you two are those heroes, who are you?” He looked at Michael, but not meeting his eyes.

"He’s the Lizard, and I’m the Multiplier." Zayn explained briskly, and as she spoke, her doubles vanished as if to make a point.

At this point, Luke looked well and truly scared, and almost close to tears. “Look, I-I’m sorry! I just….my parents kicked me out a year ago, with only enough money for the flight out of Sydney to anywhere but there. I’ve been living here since I arrived in London, and I’ve been scraping whatever I can. I’m sorry for stealing the money, but I haven’t eaten anything since that hot chocolate and coffee yesterday, and I’m starving.”

"What about that band you were talking about?" Michael asked, feeling genuinely sorry for Luke. His heart broke for the blond lad, and he felt awful for jumping to conclusions.

"They don’t know I’m homeless either. I’ve only known them a few months now, and as far as they’re concerned, I’m staying with a friend." Luke shook his head, and got out the sheafs of ten pound notes. "Here - take it back. Just don’t arrest me, please." He begged, looking far from the cheerful lad that Michael had met in the coffee shop.

Zayn took the money, and looked at Luke. “Is this it all?”

He nodded quickly. ‘“That’s it all.” He looked at Michael, and bit his lip. “You probably think I’m worthless now, since I blew you off yesterday.” He softly said.

Michael stepped closer, and quietly asked, ‘Why did your parents kick you out? Because mine chucked me out without any of my stuff because my powers kicked in, and I was turning the colour of the living room sofa, and it freaked them out. I don’t understand why your parents could kick you out though, because you’re perfect as far as I’m concerned.” He blushed, but he didn’t back away.

Luke’s eyes lit up. “You think I’m perfect? Have you seen yourself? You’re sweet, and generous, and you’re adorable, and I really do like you, and if you want, we could try that date out again?”

"I’d like that." Michael nodded. "And maybe you could stay with us while you look for an actual job? You’d have to help around the house, and there!’s like four other people besides me living there already, but I guess one more wouldn’t hurt. No more stealing though, yeah?"

"Yeah." Luke giggled, and gave Michael a hug. "Thank you so much." He mumbled.

Zayn watched from the side of the room, smiling softly. She was watching one of her best friends fall in love, and it was a nice feeling. Now, only if she could have a chance with Perrie…..


	2. Calum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cashton chapter, with more Zerrie development :)
> 
> Feedback welcomed :)
> 
> Prompts/Ideas also welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://fandomcrazychick.tumblr.com/ask

Once upon a time - okay, so it wasn’t that long ago. It was only a short time ago, and it was London in which the following events happened. Each one has a common theme, but they all tell a different story about the five very special people involved.

Perrie Edwards was the sort-of leader of their small group, but she was just as active as the others were. Her golden-blonde hair and her big blue eyes were part of what made her special, because they aided her superpower - seduction. She was known as the Siren.

Jaymi Hensley was the ‘mother’ of the group, and looking after his four best friends was one of the main uses of his special power - super speed. With the slightest effort, he could move quicker than a shooting star when he wanted to. He was known as the Dart.

Michael Clifford was the oldest in the group, but due to his power, and shy personality (because the two were innately tied together), he tended to blend into the background of wherever they were. He was an actual chameleon, and his hair and skin would change colour and patterns to blend into whatever environment he was in at the time whenever he felt scared, or shy, or more often now when he wanted to be hidden. He was known as the Lizard.

Zayn Malik was the only other girl in the group, but she was the most driven and motivated out of the five. Her power was to duplicate herself; so with a single word, there would be up to five other Zayns around them, who could all work independently for the time which the original Zayn needed them. She was known as the Multiplier.

Calum Hood was the baby of the group, being physically shorter as well as being actually younger than the other four, but his power was definitely the most intimidating than those of his friends’. He possessed the power to create and manipulate electric energy. He was known as the Spark.

This is Calum's story.

~~~~~~~~~

Silence prevailed over the tiny apartment - well, not completely. Snores could be heard from almost every room of the apartment. From the bedroom, Zayn’s snores were loud and unladylike, and from the living room, three sets of snores could be heard.

Luke and Michael lay on the sofa, limbs so entangled that it was hard to see where one began and the other ended. Luke’s snores were light and breathy, whereas on the other hand, Michael’s snores were reminiscent of a warthog with a cold.

On the floor, Calum lay sprawled out, his head resting on an open book on the floor. In contrast with the others’ rhythmic snores, Calum’s snores were interrupted every now and then by a tiny kitten-like sneeze.

Overall though it was peaceful, until-

"Guys! Up!"

The door flew open and the above head light went on, light spilling throughout the room; consequently awaking all three boys. Perrie flitted in, followed by Jaymi, both of them in full hero gear.

Calum raised his head sleepily, blinking in the bright light. “What the hell is going on? I have school tomorrow!” He groused grumpily. “Jaymi, will you please tell me she’s just doing this as a joke, so I can kill her and go back to sleep?”

Jaymi shook his head as he pushed the mask up from his face. “Nope, sorry mate. There’s a house fire across the city, and it’s already pretty bad. Pezza and I would have done it ourselves, but it’s too intense for just us two to handle. Where’s Zayn?”

"In the bedroom. I’ll go get her up." Calum reluctantly hauled himself to his feet and stretched before he headed down the hallway to the one bedroom. A second passed, and then everyone present winced in unison at the ear splitting screech that emitted from the room. Zayn really liked her sleep and didn’t appreciate being awoken.

"Mikey, c’mon. Up." Perrie gave the older boy a shake.

Michael groaned and buried his face in Luke’s neck. “Ugh, but I wanna cuddle with Luke…” He whined, pouting.

Perrie rubbed her temples with frustration. “Michael Clifford, lives are at stake as we speak, so get your ass off that fucking sofa, and get dressed now. NOW.”

Hearing the stern tone in her voice, Michael was instantly alert, and so he quickly scrambled up and hurried into the bathroom to get changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten minutes later, all five were dressed, and leaving Luke behind in the flat, they made their way across town to the sources of the flames which could be seen from their apartment window all the way on the other side of the city.

Once they neared the flaming house, surrounded by people, they stopped in the nearby woods, and Zayn seamlessly split into six of herself. All six of them turned to face the others. “What now?” They all spoke in unison.

"Zayns, you all split up and try and round up anyone who could be stuck inside the house still. Cal, you go with the original Zayn - who actually is the real Zayn?" Perrie paused her orders to ask this, looking around at the six identical Zayns in front of her.

All six rolled their eyes in a very ‘Zayn’ way, and but the Zayn on the far left spoke up, “I’m the real Zayn. Honestly, Pez, learn to tell the difference.”

This time it was Perrie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Zayn, you all look totally identical, so unless you has a tattoo somewhere secret that only you know about, them I can’t tell you apart. Nobody can.”

"I can."

"Shut up, Michael."

After being told by both girls in unison to shut up, Michael did just that, since he was slightly intimidated by the two young women.

"Anyway, back to work - Calum, you go with the original Zayn, and keep each other safe." Perrie cautioned. "Jay, you and Michael try and find the source of the fire, and stop it before it spreads any further. I’ll do crowd control and get everyone as far away as possible until the fire brigade comes."

Everyone nodded, and dispersed to their assigned jobs quickly and efficiently.

Zayn and Calum headed around the back of the flaming, crumbling house to find a back entrance, since the front door was unaccessible. The younger male felt a sense of trepidation that was almost fearful. He hated fires, and he had done ever since his electricity powers had kicked in just the year before, causing him to accidentally start fires.

*******Flashback******

Calum stood there, transfixed with horro as the toaster flames flickered dangerously high. All he’d done was plug it in, and suddenly he’d felt a tingle in his fingertips, and the toaster had caught fire. This wasn’t the first time this had happened though, like with his phone which had caught fire when he had lost his temper at the phone charger, but he didn’t understand what was happening all of a sudden, and he knew his mum didn’t understand either.

His mum ran in, and shrieked when she saw the toaster fire. “What did you do this time?” She screamed, and quickly got the fire extinguisher from the side, shoving Calum out of the way in the process. “This has been happening way too many times for it to be coincidences. Are you some kind of pyromaniac or something?”

"I didn’t do anything!" The fifteen-year old protested, tears streaming down his face at the injustice of all this. "I just plugged it in and turned it on, and it went like that! I swear I didn’t do a thing, Mum!"

"Well then who set it on fire, huh? The magic fairies?" His mum snapped mockingly. "Grow up Calum. Just get out of my sight now - I don’t even want to look at you right now." She cruelly said as she sprayed the fire extinguisher foam at the still fiery appliance.

Fresh tears welled up in the Aussie boy’s eyes and he turned around, fleeing the room.

*****Flashback Over ******

He’d ran away from home that night, and had been homeless for a year, backpacking his way towards Melbourne by doing odd jobs here and there for people to get money for train and bus tickets, before he’d met Michael in Adelaide. The older boy was obviously different like him, and had taken Calum under his wing after seeing how Calum had caused a power outage at a train station just by touching the light switch for the toilets. He’d let Calum come with him back to the UK where he lived with two girls who had special abilities like his - Zayn, the cool artsy girl who could split into clones of herself, and Perrie, who, he’d nicknamed ‘The Succubus’ initially. A few months after that, Jaymi had joined the group, and they were a family.

Calum smiled at the memories. He’d finally found people who truly cared about him, and loved him unconditionally. They were his true family, because family is deeper than blood.

Suddenly his instincts told him to get down, that he needed to get out of the way of something coming. He had never ignored his instincts before, since they had never steered him wrong, so he grabbed Zayn and they both dropped heavily to the ground just seconds before a window just above their heads exploded, glass flying everywhere.

"Shit, that was close." Zayn breathed, her heart rate sped up. "Thanks Cal."

"No problem. You’d do the same for me." Calum affectionately kissed the side of her head, and helped them both up. "Let’s just do our job now, and get out of this alive."

They quickly found a way into the house, which was almost totally on fire. Calum covered his mouth with his yellow turtleneck neck, and squinted to see through the thick smoke. He caught a glimpse of something purple darting just past the flaming doorway ahead of them. Another Zayn, he thought to himself, recognising his best girl friend’s signature shade of purple.

"H-help!"

Calum’s head jerked up as he heard a muffled cry through the crackling of the flames, and the cracking of the building’s walls. He beckoned for Zayn to follow, and he started down the hallway. Once he located the source of the cries for help - a bathroom with the door locked, but the lock dented so it was basically useless, therefore trapping the person inside - he knocked heavily on the door. “I’m here to get you out.” He shouted. “What’s your name?” He asked, trying to keep the person as calm and conscious as possible while he searched around the area for something to break the door down with.

"A-Ashton," was the choked response, and Calum started to panic a little, as he could tell that time was running out for them all. The air was thick with smoke, and even Calum was feeling the burn in his lungs despite the resistance that his superpowers gave him.

"Z, help!" He turned to Zayn desperately. She nodded, and closed her eyes, before another two versions of her split from either side of her. Almost as soon as this happened though, the original Zayn's face lost all colour, and she collapsed onto the floor.

Calum's eyes widened with full-fledged panic, and he dropped to her side. "Zayn, come on babe, wake up..." He shook her shoulder, but she still didn't regain consciousness. This freaked Calum out so much now.

"JAY!" He yelled, choking on the thick blanket of smoke that was enveloping them. His head was spinning, and he felt faint, but not enough to make him pass out.

In seconds, Jaymi was there. "Zayn!" He exclaimed worriedly, and scooped her up in his arms. "I'll take her to safety." He made sure Zayn was still breathing. "Get anyone else out of here, Cal. The whole place'll collapse any minute now." He warned, and was gone in a heartbeat.

Calum covered his mouth with the turtleneck of his yellow jumper and turned to where the two Zayn clones were ramming the door open with their combined shoulders.

Once it was open, he hurried in, and spotted the now unconscious boy lying on the floor, barely breathing.

Between them, Calum and the two clones carried Ashton out the back door of the house and around to the front of the house. The two Zayns dissipated into thin air suddenly, leaving Calum to deal with Ashton. With difficulty, he hauled the boy over to the grass a safe distance away from the house and the crowd.

Calum pressed his ear to Ashton's chest, and listened. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realised that he was indeed alive. He gently pressed on Ashton's chest, and held his nose closed to force him to breathe.

Suddenly Ashton came to, coughing and spluttering. "Wh-what - what happened?" He coughed, looking up at Calum, dazed.

"Doesn't matter - you're safe now." Calum told him, hand automatically touching his mask to make sure his face was covered; ergo, protecting his identity. To the majority of the population, he was simply the Spark, one of the Marginalised who could manipulate electricity, someone who'd save them. To them, he wasn't Calum Hood, high school student.

Recognition suddenly registered on Ashton's face as he saw the logo on the front of Calum's supersuit. "You're the Spark...whoa." He breathed, awestruck as he sat up more. "I'm such a big fan, honestly - I've got every article which mentions you and I follow all the Spark update accounts on Twitter-"

Dumbstruck, Calum was saved from having to answer that when he noticed a flash of silver in the corner of his peripheral vision, and he quickly stood up. "Keep safe, Ashton," were his last words before he sprinted after the silver flash towards the woods not far from the house, just as the fire brigade pulled up and began to douse the house.

When he caught up with the group, Zayn was sitting on a tree stump, looking very pale while Perrie was pacing back and forth, berating Zayn fiercely. Jaymi watched grimly from the side of the clearing, and Michael was already asleep again, curled up on the grassy forest floor at Michael's feet like a cat.

"How could you have been so careless, Zayn?" Perrie ranted. "You know perfectly well that your body can't handle more than five clones, and yet you went and did more, risking not only your own life, but Calum's life as well, not to mention the innocents we were saving! How are you so stupid?!"

Calum bristled with rage at this. "Zayn isn't stupid, Per. She just wanted to help." He snapped at her. "Anyway, how's she meant to develop her powers if she doesn't take risks?"

"She could practice at home when she's alone during the day - not on a job!" Perrie bit back at him, shooting Zayn a sideways look which made the other girl flinch a little.

"Ok, just leave her alone. She's smart, and bloody amazing at what she does, and if she hadn't done what she did, I'd likely be dead, and so would the guy we saved." Calum glared at the blonde.

"You're just defending her 'cause you probably fancy her." Perrie snapped back, smirking.

Zayn and Calum both made the same face in unison. "Ew! Calum's like my brother." Zayn exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

"Exactly. Just because you're a total slag, Perrie, doesn't mean we all are." Calum remarked snottily without really thinking about his words, but it was worth it to see the expression on Perrie's face.

The blonde made as if to slap him, but Jaymi intervened just then. "Ok, maybe we should just go home now. We're all tired and cranky, and we just need sleep."

"Fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They returned to the apartment, and parted ways. Zayn wandered into the kitchen to get food, followed by Jaymi. Perrie stalked into the bedroom without speaking to anyone, and slammed the door behind her, consequently waking up Luke, who fell off the sofa with surprise.

"Wha' happened?" He asked drowsily, rubbing his eyes.

"Nothing, babe, just a job." Michael helped his boyfriend back onto the sofa. "I'll come back in a minute." He promised, giving the blond boy's lips a kiss, before heading to the bathroom.

Calum watched the older couple wistfully. He really wanted that - someone to come home to, someone to cuddle with, someone who'd make him as happy as Luke made Michael.

He sighed, but settled into the armchair anyway, feeling absolutely shattered.

~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later, it was a Monday morning, and Calum had school. Yippee. With a sour expression, he got out of Perrie's car, and walked through the school gates, still feeling tired from the night before.

Honestly, if he'd had the option, he's had have left school already and just been the Spark full time, or at least do something like work or do what Zayn did with her art classes. However, the eldest three - Perrie, Michael and Jaymi - had all ruled that Calum, being still only sixteen, had to at least finish his GCSES.

"Hey Cal! Wait up!"

Calum turned when he heard his name, and spotted his mate Christian running to catch up with him. He slowed his pace until Christian fell into step beside him. 

"Hey mate, did you catch the Victoria's Secret show on Saturday night? Major hotties walking that catwalk." Christian grinned.

"Nah, I was out that night." Calum shook his head.

"Man, you should have seen it. Anyway, you know those super guys who are always saving people from like fires and stuff? Apparently on Friday night, there was a big fire over on Beaumont Road, and the Spark - the guy with the yellow suit and mask - he, like proper saved this guy from a burning building. The guy's in the year above us, and it's all over Facebook."

Calum stopped in his tracks. "Sorry? Can you repeat that?" He asked carefully, trying not to freak out.

"This dude, Ashton something, did a huge status post about how he was so close to dying, but he was saved by this tall handsome figure in a yellow suit, and that one day Ashton's going to find out the guy's true identity and marry him." Christian laughed. "I mean, if I was going to hook up with a superhero, it'd be that hot chick with the purple costume. She's got a nice rack on her."

"Ew." Calum made a face. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure she'd not appreciate being objectified like that." He pointed out automatically. "I mean, for all you know, she could be a very intelligent, independent woman who loves to read and paint, and forgets to put away her clothes properly-" He cut himself off when he saw his friend's raised eyebrow. "Well, she could be. Nobody knows who she really is. Listen, I gotta go - I'm meeting my new science tutor before form class, because without that tutoring, I'm not going to pass my physics or chemistry exams."

He waved and hurried up the school steps into the building, letting out a breath of relief. That'd been a close one - way too close for comfort. He need to nip this in the bud, and have a talk with-

Calum stopped in the doorway of the school library when he saw just who his tutor was. "Ashton." He breathed. Okay, seriously? What were the odds that the guy he rescued from the jaws of death a few days previously would be his tutor now? He stood in the doorway for a second, just observing.

For someone whose personal belongings were mostly gone, the curly-haired boy was surprisingly upbeat. Calum watched him drumming along on the table with a pair of pencils to the music playing through the headphones he wore, eyes closed in concentration.

Calum headed over and sat opposite Ashton. "Hey?" He tapped Ashton's hand lightly to get his attention, but ended up startling the lad.

"Jeez!" He jumped with shock, and took out the headphones. "Oh, hi. You scared me a little. Are you.." He squinted at the slip of paper in his hand. "Kale-um Hood?" He tried to pronounce it.

"Calum. Spelt with one L but pronounced like Callum." Calum corrected him with a raised eyebrow. "Not that hard." He muttered quietly to himself afterwards.

"I'm dyslexic, not deaf." Ashton replied curtly. "I heard what you just said, and if you're going to be like that, I'll just give you my notes and leave. Just warning you though, my notes are almost illegible to anyone but me, so you'd have a hard time studying without me to explain them."

Calum flushed at being caught out and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry." He muttered abashedly. He may be the Spark, but when he takes off his mask, he's just a normal person who didn't have to be a dick.

"Hey, how about in return for this tutoring, I'll help you with something?" He offered, trying to make amends.

Ashton took a moment to consider this. "Anything?" He pressed carefully.

"Anything. I'll return the favour and help you with anything you want." Calum nodded.

When Ashton's face split into a wide, wicked rin though, Calum grew a little wary.

"In return for this tutoring, you'll help me gather research on the Spark." Ashton declared. "That dude's just amazeballs, and I want to find out his true identity so I can get to know the man beneath the mask. He saved my life on Friday night, and even though I know I've pretty much got no home right now and that I'm having to live with my aunt, but I really don't care, because I'm alive, and it's due to him saving me from the jaws of death."

Calum blinked, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't give him away. "The Spark? Erm, I'm pretty sure it's a pre-requisite that a superhero keeps his identity a secret. If you find out his identity, it could be totally not what you expected, and ruin your image of him." He told him, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"I don't care. He saved my life so I am going to find him so I can thank him properly." Ashton stubbornly said, and gathered his stuff. "Anyway, I have to get to class now, so I'll see you at lunchtime for tutoring." He walked off, leaving Calum alone at the table.

The dark-haired boy let out a groan of frustration and banged his head repeatedly on the table, ignoring the elderly librarian's disapproving glare from across the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few months passed, and while Calum was being tutored, he kept a close eye on Ashton and his Spark investigation. Any time Ashton got something even remotely close to discovering the truth, Calum either 'accidentally' lost it or he planted a red herring to steer Ashton off the path.

Over time, he also got to know Ashton more - like how Ashton loved drumming, and he was actually in a band which didn't play any actual gigs but they just played because they loved music. He also learned stuff like Ash's favourite colour - red -, favourite ice cream flavour - chocolate chip, - and even when he had his first kiss - at age sixteen. Calum realised over time that Ashton Irwin wasn't just some annoyingly persistent doofus with dyslexia and a crush on the Spark.

He was also the guy that Calum was developing a huge crush on.

However, Calum has resigned himself to just pining from afar, since Ashton was so infatuated with Calum's alter ego.

He walked out of the bedroom one morning about three months after first meeting Ashton, and suddenly found himself in the middle of a full on bitch-fest.

"You don;t have any clue what I'm feeling, Perrie!" Zayn screamed, going almost blue in the face from her anger. "You're so fucking oblivious sometimes!"

"Zayn, you've been my best friend since we got this apartment together, way before the boys came along." Perrie snapped back, hands on her hips defiantly. "I know you better than anyone, and I know what you're feeling."

"Um, Per...." Michael tried to interject quickly.

"Stay out of this Michael. I know what's wrong with Zayn. She's in love." Perrie declared smugly. "I can tell - you've been quieter than usual for ages now, and whenever I bring up anything related to dating, you change the subject. Just admit it, you're in love with some guy."

Zayn suddenly paled, and it was as if all the air had went out of her in one swoop. "Don't even go there." She shook her head. "Don't."

"Perrie..." Jaymi warned. "Just leave it."

"Shut up Jaymi! I know what's good for her, and if she tells this guy she likes him, she'll feel so much-"

"IT'S YOU!" Zayn screeched suddenly, startling everyone with her outburst. "Alright? It's you. I'm bi, and I'm in love with my best friend. Happy now?" She glared at Perrie, before fleeing the apartment. As she passed, Calum caught a glimpse of tears falling, and he felt a strong pang of sympathy for her.

Perrie just stood there, jaw slack with shock, and a stunned expression on her face.

Michael rounded on her. "Perrie, I can't believe you did that. You just dragged Zayn out of the closet, when she didn't want to tell anyone. If she'd wanted you to know about her feelings, she'd have told you. You just touched a part of her she's uncomfortable about, and you don't even care."

"I-I didn't know.." Perrie whispered, still looking like she'd just been shot.

"Just go to work, Perrie. Luke and I'll go find Zayn and calm her down." Michael grabbed his boyfriend;'s hand and they left in search of Zayn ( or at least one of her, because when Zayn got upset, her powers went haywire.)

Jaymi sighed, and glanced at Calum. "C'mon, I'll drop you off at school, Cal." He picked up the car keys and gently steered the younger lad out the door.

He dropped off Calum outside the school gates, and Calum waved to him before he headed into the old red-brick building.

Despite all the family drama, Calum still smiled when he thought about going to meet up with Ashton this morning during free period. He stopped by his locker and left his maths and english books into the locker, but taking out his biology textbook and notes. A whole hour to spend with Ashton-

"HELP!" A blood-curdling shrik came from outside, and Calum's whole body turned to ice as he recognised the scream.

His books clattered to the ground, forgotten as the electric superhero raced outside, bolting for the far side of the building.

As he turned the corner, he heard a rough, male voice sneer, "Nobody's going to come, little faggot. Everybody's in form class already, and we're all the way out here. Besides, everyone knows those 'supers' you worship so much are just a load of fakes and they're not going to come ether." This was followed by a sickening sound that sounded scarily like a punch to the gut, and it made Calum feel physically sick to hear it.

He crept closer to the voice, and discovered it was coming from the other side of the small brick building which housed the school's old electric generator that was kept for back-up purposed. He pressed himself against the wall, and listened further, trying to gauge the identities of Ashton's bullies before he would step in.

"Th-they will come!" Ashton defended, his voice laced with pain. "Th-the Sp-sp-spark--"

Another hit followed by a thud. Calum closed his eyes, unable to bear it.

"Everyone knows about your obsession with that dude, you poof." Another voice spoke up, rougher than the first. "You're just a sad little nobody who's wasting his time." Another yelp of pain. "Retard."

That was what pushed Calum over the edge, and fury pulsed through his body. He stepped into view and glared at the two senior boys. "Leave. Him. Alone." He said through gritted teeth.

The two youths just laughed. "Look at the little Paki coming to defend him. You his boyfriend?" The first boy jeered.

"Firstly, I'm not Pakistani, and secondly, I don't like that you're bullying Ashton." Calum coolly said, and placed a hand on the brick wall beside them.

Focusing on what he was doing, Calum drew out some of the electricity power from the generator, and felt it flowing through his fingertips. As he slowly pulled his hand away, he could almost hear the electricity crackling between his fingertips. "You want to touch him, you'll have to go through me."

"Fine by me." One of the coarse youths agreed, and menacingly approached, while Ashton croaked from the ground, "No, Cal!"

The bully stepped forward and went to shove Calum against the wall, but as he did, Calum's eyes flashed yellow for a second, and within the next second, the youth was lying on the ground, twitching and jerking a little before lying prone.

"What did you just do?" The other boy exclaimed, looking furiously at Calum. "I'll kill you for that!" He lumbered towards Calum but with one hand to his chest, he was in the same state as his friend.

Throughout all this, Ashton watched with wide eyes, freaked out just a little. "Whoa - wait, what?" He exclaimed. "H-how did you do that?" He asked, just before the penny dropped, and so did Ashton's jaw.

Calum sat beside him, and pressed his hands to the ground to drain out the excess electricity. He watched with growing trepidation as Ashton put two and two together. "I'm the Spark." He admitted before Ashton could say anything. "I'm the one who saved you all those months ago, and I'm the one you've been searching for."

Silence fell between them, and Calum grew steadily more uneasy and scared by the second, fully expecting Ashton to freak out and never want to touch him again-

"Dios mio, this is so embarrassing! I've been practically stalking you, when you're right there, and now I know you're- oh god." Ashton covered his face with shame. "I've been gushing about you, to you!" He wailed.

Calum was thrown by the direction of Ashton's reaction. "Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's what you're worried about? I just electrified two guys with my powers of electricity, and you're worried about embarrassing yourself?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I was feeling guilty about fancying you at the same time as the spark, but you're the same person now - aaaand I'm going to shut up now because I'm digging an even bigger hole for myself." Ashton muttered, blushing.

Calum was silent for a moment, just processing this new information. His head was absolutely spinning, and he couldn't quite wrap his head around the facts that a) Ashton had no problem whatsoever with him being a freaking superhero, or b) that he had a crush on Calum too.

"Dinner tonight?" He heard himself blurt out, and before he could take them back, the words were out. "Around six-ish? I've got some drama going on at home right now, and besides I'd much rather spend time with you anyway."

Ashton's eyes lit up momentarily, but then his face fell. "Oh...I actually have band practice tonight. Maybe you could come watch? We have pizza?"

Calum couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. "That sounds great." He smiled, and helped Ashton to his feet. "We better get you checked out by Matron. C'mon." He picked up Ashton's bag, and helped the older boy across the grounds to the school again.

Maybe there was hope for him after all, he thought to himself. Maybe he could have a life outside his job, just like Michael had found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://fandomcrazychick.tumblr.com/ask

**Author's Note:**

> fandomcrazychick.tumblr.com/ask
> 
> Send prompts!


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